


we can walk together (with our hands up in the sky)

by youngowl



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Gay Panic, Happy Ending, Hope is a dumbass bi, Language, Mention of underage drinking, One Shot, Sorry if they're a little ooc, Swearing, no landon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:01:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26223052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youngowl/pseuds/youngowl
Summary: The name ‘Hope Saltzman’ was crossed out, because no. Next to it, circled and starred, was the name ‘Josette Mikaelson’.Yeah, no one can ever see this notebook.orthe one where hope’s notebook is full of drawings of josie, which shouldn’t be a problem except she accidentally gave it to josie and fuck she needs it back before the girl sees
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 25
Kudos: 343





	we can walk together (with our hands up in the sky)

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by another trimberly fic with the same concept of the notebook. It’s by crosshatches, titled “(don’t ask why) I can paint a picture of you in my mind”
> 
> Title is from the song Two High by Moon Taxi
> 
> Hope is a clueless, dumbass, panicking gay

Her pencil scratched against the paper, the soft noise filling the silence. The strokes were confident and bold, signs of an artist with plenty of experience. 

She purposefully kept her mind blank, keeping the end product as a surprise to herself. Sometimes her hands start moving on their own, her self conscious itching to pour its inspiration onto some sort of canvas.

A soft jawline formed, followed by a carefully shaded neck. The collar of the shirt made an appearance, before the pencil moved back up to work on the facial features. Full, pouty lips came to life and-

She stopped herself once she realized what she was drawing.  _ Who _ she was drawing.

Hope sighed. 

See, she  _ would _ just throw out the piece of paper. It was too much evidence of her pathetic, pining crush. However, she (stupidly) let herself start sketching while she was supposed to be studying.

Now a half finished portrait of Josie Saltzman interrupted her notes on the Revolutionary War. (Apparently Abigail Adams was a witch.)

The worst part? It wasn’t the first time, and it definitely won’t be the last. 

It only really happens in history, which was one of the only classes she shared with Josie. They also had potions together, but that was more of a hands-on class. There was no opportunity for Hope’s mind to wander and allow her traitorous hands to start doodling in the margins.

History, though. Such a bore. 

Hope was already ahead in all her subjects - one of the perks of being a loner who doesn’t spend her free time going to parties. Still, she could at least follow along in her other classes and stay interested in the different topics. But history never kept her attention for long. 

She maintained her good grades, but she can’t help but get utterly bored during the lectures. It wasn’t her fault that her eyes would look around the classroom, almost always landing on Josie sitting at the front of the room.

Without fault, the girl would always be paying her full attention to the lesson. It’s one of the many things Hope admires about Josie - the way she puts her all into everything she does. Right from the bell, the girl will be ready with all her different colored pens laid out on her desk. Her eyes would be wide and willing to learn, a huge contrast to the dead stares from the other students. They had the class first thing in the morning, which made Josie’s energy even more impressive. 

Josie was a very good student. Hope’s had to borrow her notes a couple times due to monster fighting, and she was taken aback by how organized everything was. Different colors for different topics, diagrams made to help understand the concepts, extra information that the teacher doesn’t even write on the board. Hope just uses a pen, writing down only the important things to remember. She had a good memory and didn’t need to rely on rereading her notes in the future. 

She’s also noticed that Josie color coordinates her notebooks and folders for each class, a trait that Hope also never bothered to do. All her school supplies were in her favorite color, red, and she’d just write the subject on the front.

Hope absentmindedly flipped through her notes. The first couple pages were fine, when she actually tried to pay attention in class. As it went on, random doodles filled the margins: flowers, a butterfly, etc. 

One day, Hope found herself staring at Josie. On the same day, a sketch took up a quarter of the page, one of a girl sitting in a desk, full concentration on the non-existent board in front of her. As Hope and Josie became more civil with each other, to the point where Josie even called her a friend, drawings of Josie became much more frequent. A detailed sketch of her eyes, some simple line art of her hands, sometimes even full blown portraits of the girl.

She stopped on a specific page, one that didn’t even present any art. Instead, the top of the page had… an interesting concept. On the anniversary of her Aunt Freya’s wedding. A concept that Hope would never admit to entertain in her thoughts. 

The name ‘Hope Saltzman’ was crossed out, because no. Next to it, circled and starred, was the name ‘Josette Mikaelson’. 

Yeah, no one can ever see this notebook. 

(She wants to erase it, destroying any evidence of her childish musings. But it just sounds so  _ good _ in her head. Josette Mikaelson. She can’t bring herself to ever get rid of it.)

Unable to concentrate on studying anymore, Hope pushed away from her desk and laid down in bed. She put her headphones on, turning the volume on her phone to the highest possible setting. The opening of  _ If You’re Leaving _ by Le Youth played out, and she closed her eyes, allowing the fast beats to drown out her constant thoughts.

* * *

There was still eight minutes left of class, but the teacher’s voice started to get drowned out with the sound of people packing up their bags. He gave them a look of disappointment, before accepting it and going to sit at his desk, muttering something along the lines of “kids these days.”

Hope closed her notebook, a new sketch of Josie taking up most of the page instead of actual notes. It was an image of the girl raising her hand, her lips pursed together with an expression of confusion on her face. It was too cute not to capture on paper.

She put her notebook in her bag, taking out her headphones, prepared to blast music in her ears until the bell rang. 

The acoustic opening of  _ Two High _ by Moon Taxi filled her senses, and she absentmindedly started tapping her foot to the beat. When the first line came in, she took a deep breath and relaxed, immersing herself into the music.

A chair scraped to her right, and she turned her head and froze. She took out one of her earbuds with a questioning raise of her brow.

Josie smiles sheepishly. “Sorry.” 

She sat down. Josie tilted her head, smiling wider when she recognized the song that was playing. 

The siphoner was actually the one who showed Hope the acoustic version of the song. When Josie found out about Hope’s taste in music, she was surprised but didn’t judge her for it. 

(Unlike Lizzie, who visibly shudders when Hope plays her playlist. Hope doesn’t take offense, she knows it’s not for everyone. Besides, Lizzie listens to the top hits of today, so Hope doesn’t see the blonde’s music taste as something admirable.)

Josie appreciated all forms of music, she just personally gravitated toward more indie-type songs - songs she can play on her ukulele. 

Not wanting Hope to feel out of place whenever they hung out, Josie found a couple acoustic versions of the songs Hope likes, and Josie even picked out some EDM songs from Hope’s playlist that she doesn’t mind. Despite Hope insisting that she doesn’t mind listening to Josie’s music, Josie must have made a playlist reserved for when they’re together, a compromise of their differing music preferences.

Hope took out the other earbud when Josie started talking. It would be disrespectful to leave one in while talking to someone, especially when that someone is Josie. Josie deserves her full attention. Always.

“Can I borrow your notes for potions?”

Oh. That made sense. After the twin’s sixteenth birthday, they went to Europe with Caroline because Alaric had no idea how to help their trauma. Of course Josie would need to catch up on what she missed.

“Um, sure. There’s not much, though. Just a few facts about certain ingredients.” Hope scratched behind her ear, thinking about her barely legible handwriting and simplified note-taking skills. “You could probably ask the teacher for a more thorough explanation. I have to admit, my notes aren’t that great.”

Josie rolled her eyes with a smile. “I’m sure they’re fine.” She bit her lip, and Hope’s eyes flickered down briefly before she forced herself to look up. 

_ Stop it. _ She scolded herself. 

Josie continued. “Miss Featherwood doesn’t really like me, she specifically told me to get the notes from a classmate.”

What? How could  _ anyone _ not like Josie?

Hope’s confusion must have shown on her face because Josie explained without missing a beat. “Something about a grudge against my dad, so she takes it out on me and Lizzie.”

“That’s stupid.” 

“Yeah, but I can’t really do anything to change her mind.”

Hope made a mental note to talk to their potions teacher at another time. The tribrid could change her mind.

“Oh. Then, of course you can borrow my notes.”

“Thank you.” Josie gave her a bright smile, and Hope had to look away to hide the redness of her cheeks. 

“A-Anytime.”

The fact that a simple smile from Josie can make her lose her train of thought was pretty embarrassing. 

At that moment, the bell rang. Everyone else in the class immediately started filing out the door. This prompted Hope to actually  _ open _ her bag, so she can give Josie what she was asking for. As she tugged on the zipper, it got caught and wouldn’t budge.

Shit. She didn’t want to make Josie late for class.

She fumbled with it, going back and forth for an awkward amount of time. Her cheeks reddened even further.

“Here, let me try.” Josie reached over, their fingers brushing as Hope pulled her hand away. 

Hope didn’t think Josie  _ needed _ to be leaning in that close, her face just inches away. It allowed Hope to study the girl’s face, memorizing all the contours. (Not that she doesn’t already have them memorized. While the girl was in Europe, Hope still found herself sketching the siphoner’s face, her hands well-versed in the art of Josie.)

“Got it!” Josie leaned back with a victorious grin. 

It wasn’t  _ fair _ that Josie could make Hope feel this way, while Josie seemed wholly unaffected.

“Thanks.”

Grabbing the red notebook quickly, she essentially thrust it into Josie’s hands. 

Hope, needing to get away before she embarrassed herself even more, rushed to close her backpack. ( _ Now _ the stupid zipper works.) 

“I’llseeyouatlunch.” She said in one breath, leaving the classroom and heading straight for her dorm. She had a free period.

She barely registered Josie’s amused smile, as well as her words as Hope bolted out of the room.

“See you!”

* * *

High school lunch has always been a time for students to relax and socialize, catch up on the new gossip, dare each other to do random things. It was a free period for the kids to recharge - both mentally and physically. They get a break from lectures while also nourishing their bodies with food from the cafeteria, which was actually good food because Lizzie Saltzman is the headmaster’s daughter and gets what she wants.

For Hope, she spent her first few years at the school eating lunch alone, the occasional acquaintance joining her. After her parents’ deaths, and the reveal that she was Klaus Mikaelson’s daughter, she skipped the cafeteria entirely. She would eat outside or go to the library and use it as a study hall period.

More recently, she’s been eating in the lunchroom again. Because Josie asked her to. 

They were in Josie’s room one day doing homework, both of them sitting on the siphoner’s bed, when Josie was recalling a scene from lunch earlier that day. Apparently Jed and Kaleb made some bet, and they ended up arm wrestling in the middle of the room. People bet money on it, but it ended up undetermined when the table underneath them broke. 

Hope smiled, taking in the image of Josie laughing as she re-enacted some parts. 

“You should’ve been there, it was hilarious. Dad was super pissed.” Josie chuckled. She cocked her head, hesitating to ask a question, something that seemed to have been bothering her for a while. “…Why weren’t you there? Do you not eat lunch?”

“I do.” Hope shrugged, looking down at her textbook. “Just not in the cafeteria.” 

“Why?”

“Never had a good reason to. Sitting alone is more enjoyable with a view - there’s a spot in the garden that overlooks everything perfectly.” 

Josie frowned, making Hope worry that she said something wrong. Josie stayed silent, thinking about how to respond to that. 

Hope stood up from the bed. She needed to stretch her legs after sitting in the same position for the past hour or so. Strolling over to the girl’s desk, something caught her eye. 

“What’s this?” She asked with curiosity, reaching out. There was a journal, the torn edges and worn out pages a sign of being used frequently. It was open, and Hope caught a glimpse of her name in Josie’s handwriting before the journal closed shut.

She looked back at Josie, whose hands were clutching her textbook with a fading red glow, the telltale sign that the girl was siphoning magic.

“Don’t look at that!” Josie spoke with the smallest trace of panic in her voice. She cleared her throat. “It’s, um, personal.”

“Sorry.” Hope said. She mentally berated herself. First, she said something to make Josie sad, and then she was about to completely disregard Josie’s privacy?

“It’s my songwriting journal.” Josie explained after a moment. “I’m currently writing a song, and I don’t want anyone to read it, not yet.”

“Oh.” Hope gave her a teasing smile. “Can I be the first to hear it?”

Red colored Josie’s cheeks, but that didn’t make sense. Hope must’ve been imagining it.

“Maybe.” Josie’s eyes lit up. “How about this: you start eating lunch with us, and I promise I’ll sing it for you as soon as I finish.”

And that’s how Hope found herself sitting in the lunchroom, listening to Lizzie and MG argue about comic books and movies. 

_ You’re doing this for Josie _ . Hope reminded herself.

Speaking of the girl, Josie was half-heartedly listening to the conversation, agreeing with whatever Lizzie said when the blonde twin needed someone to back her up. Josie was focused on a grimoire from the library, studying for a make up test that she had to take next period. The old, dusty book was placed right next to Josie’s pristine notes.

Lizzie has the same test to take, as well, but she always managed at least a 70 without doing any extra effort. She didn’t bother studying. Apparently, she’d much rather spend her time berating Batman.

“His only superpower is  _ money _ . Boohoo, his parents died. At least Hope here has actual powers.” Lizzie glanced at Hope with a frown, deep in thought. “Actually, I bet she could rock being a superhero. No cape though, more of a Black Widow type of catsuit.”

“Yeah, and Pedro as one of my sidekicks.” Hope scoffed. Seeing MG’s excited expression, she pointed her fork at him. “Not happening.”

“But we’re the Super Squad! We already have a name, getting our own, unique outfits is the logical next step.”

Yeah.  _ Logical _ .

“As long as I get to design them.” Lizzie exclaimed. “Knowing broody Mikaelson and her insistence to wear the same outfit everyday, everyone would probably be dressed in all black. Maybe with some sort of Mikaelson branding.”

Hope blinked, looking down at her clothes. She was wearing the school uniform, what was wrong with that? 

“Oh don’t look so offended.” Lizzie rolled her eyes. “Even when you’re not in school, all you wear is a t-shirt, jeans, and the same combat boots. Sometimes with that old cardigan to ‘spice’ it up a little. We’re not a cartoon, we’re allowed to have more than three, boring looks.”

“Hey!” Hope understood that her outfits aren’t the most fashion forward, but they’re not  _ terrible _ . They’re simple, comfortable, and good for monster fighting. 

Lizzie ignored her, going back to her previous conversation with MG. Hope stabbed at her food, popping a french fry in her mouth and chewing vigorously. 

Josie looked up, biting her lip to hold back a smile at the sight of the great tribrid pouting. Hope narrowed her eyes. 

“Do you have something to say about my clothes?”

Josie muttered something, too quiet for Hope to hear. MG’s head whipped over to stare at Josie in shock. Her own eyes widened, and she gave him a brief glance of panic, to which he gave an imperceptible nod to. 

Lizzie turned her head. “What? What’s happening?” She tried to see what made MG pause in the middle of his argument, but Josie already looked away. 

“Nothing, just thought I heard something.” MG brushed it off, seamlessly going back to his tangent from before.

Hope looked between the two, dumbfounded and knowing she was definitely missing something. 

Josie smiled. “Your clothes are fine.” Hope had an appreciative ‘thank you’ on her tongue, but Josie’s smile turned teasing, and she continued, “But if you were interested in branching out, I’d be more than happy to help.”

Hope shut her mouth. That… that was an underlying insult. But the idea of spending more time with Josie definitely seemed appealing. 

“Y-Yeah. Sounds good.”

Sitting diagonal from her, Lizzie raised an eyebrow at Hope’s stutter, but she chose not to point it out.

Josie smiled wide in response, before asking, “Hey, can I borrow a pencil?” She gestured to the notebook in front of her. “I need to make some corrections.”

Hope nodded in response, reaching for her backpack on the ground. She twisted her body, lifting the bag onto the seat beside her. The zipper smoothly glided along the top (asshole), and she peered inside. 

As an artist, people would think that Hope would keep her pencils and pens in the best condition. Wrong. With how hectic her life is, Hope’s organizational skills are the least of her worries. Most of the writing utensils she uses for class are in an unfortunate pile at the bottom of her bag.

Seeing nothing at first glance, she sifted through her notebooks, hoping to find a pencil lodged between two. Calculus II, Wickery, Potions, Lycanthropy, no pencil in sight.

Wait. 

Didn’t she give her potions notes to Josie?

Hope went back and read through all the notebooks and folders in her bag.

Calculus II. Wickery. Potions. Lycanthropy. 

Those were all her classes for today and tomorrow. Except-

History. 

Oh. Oh no. Oh  _ no _ .

“Hope?” 

“Sorry?” Hope looked up to see Josie with a slightly concerned face. 

“You looked like you were about to have a panic attack.” Josie reached across the table, laying her hand on Hope’s elbow. “Is everything okay?”

Everything was  _ not _ okay. Josie touching her just made her want to go into a different kind of panic.

“Everything’s fine!” She said, a little too fast to be normal. “I must’ve lost my pencil from earlier, sorry.”

“I got a pencil, Jo!” MG reached into his bag. Josie probably thanked him as she reached to grab it, but Hope wasn’t listening.

They’ve had classes all morning, so there was no way Josie has opened the book in the few hours she’s had it. Besides, if she has, she definitely would have asked Hope about the never ending drawings of herself.

Okay. Josie can not, under any circumstance, open Hope’s history notebook. 

Hope eyed the clock. There was about four minutes before the bell rang and lunch was over. She glanced at MG, debating if she could ask him to use his vamp speed to switch out the notebooks without Josie noticing a thing. That plan had two obstacles. 

For one, Hope would have to explain  _ why _ , and also why Josie can’t know about the switch. And two, MG was fully enamored by Lizzie, who was in the middle of an impassioned rant about Tom Holland being the best spiderman. If Hope asked MG for a favor, it would cut off Lizzie, and only draw more attention to the tribrid. 

Okay, not asking MG for help. Hope checked the time again. Three minutes. 

She could “accidentally” drop her fork. It gives her an excuse to duck down underneath the table, open Josie’s bag, and swap the books. No one would have to know anything was off, she’d just have to be quick so it wasn’t suspicious that she would take that long to pick up a utensil.

Hope dropped it.

Lizzie paused in the middle of her argument. “Did you just  _ throw _ your fork on the ground?”

She ignored her, going underneath the table. She scanned the ground and spotted Josie’s bag-

-leaning against Josie’s leg. Josie’s long legs, which were crossed because the girl was wearing a skirt-

Hope sat up properly, heat rushing to her cheeks. She looked around, letting out a small, relieved sigh that Josie was still engrossed in her notes, and MG seemed to be convincing a begrudging Lizzie that Miles Morales was the best spiderman. 

Shit. How was she supposed to get her notebook back? It’s not like she could just  _ tell _ Josie that she accidentally gave her the wrong one.

… 

She was an idiot.

“Josie-” Hope started to say, only to be cut off by the bell.

She tried again. “Josie.”

The girl was in the middle of packing up her stuff. She looked up with wide eyes, making Hope forget what she needed for a second. 

“Let’s go, Hermione Granger. All that studying would be for nothing if we don’t take this stupid test.” Lizzie stood up, grabbing Josie’s arm as she started to drag her out of the lunch room. “Remember what mom said?”

“To face our problems-”

“To face our problems head on! Time to get an ‘A’ on this O.W.L. exam.”

“That’s not how the grading system works in Hogwarts.”

Hope stayed seated, watching the twins leave. Watching Josie leave. With Hope’s stupid, crush filled, notebook.

She dropped her head in her hands. She was an idiot.

* * *

After classes, Hope ran into Josie in the kitchen. One hundred percent by accident. It’s not like she asked MG, who didn’t know, so she ended up sniffing the air like a dog and following Josie’s scent. Nope. That’d be embarrassing.

Josie was currently making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, judging by the ingredients out on the table. 

Hope got a knife out of the drawer, handing it to Josie so she could spread the peanut butter evenly. 

“Oh! Thanks.” Josie smiled.

It didn’t even occur to Hope that Josie didn’t even ask. 

“What are you doing later?” Hope asked, grabbing a bottle of water and leaning against the counter as naturally as possible.

“Catching up on some review, then Lizzie is gonna drag me to a party.”

Hope blinked. “It’s a Tuesday.”

“That’s what I said. But apparently Jed and the wolves are throwing it as a welcome home party, specifically for us. So we have to make an appearance.”

Josie placed the two pieces of bread together, taking a bite and chewing in thought. They stood in a comfortable silence, Hope knowing that Josie had more to say once she swallowed her food. Caroline Forbes raised the twins to have good manners, and not to talk while eating.

“And while I appreciate the gesture, I really need to review. Someone said that we might have a pop quiz in Wickery tomorrow, so I need to catch up as soon as possible.”

Hope frowned. “Will you have time for that? When does the party start?”

“In two hours. But I already know that one hour of that time will be spent helping Lizzie get ready, you know how she is with big entrances. The other hour can be dedicated to learning new spells and incantations.” Josie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I am so glad I have a free period before Potions. I’ll copy down your notes then, so you should have your notebook back by class.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it.” Hope reaches out her hand, rubbing small circles into Josie’s back. The girl was obviously stressed and had a lot on her plate. “It sounds like you have everything under control, so everything should work out. You can definitely give it back to me before the bell rings.”

Besides, Hope now knows that the twin’s room will be empty for a period of time tonight. A new plan hatched in her head.

In the meantime, she had a certain teacher to visit.

* * *

It should be simple. Just go in, take the notebook, then leave. No one should notice her, everyone was at the party. It should take less than five minutes.

Where was Josie’s bag? 

Hope’s eyes scanned the room hurriedly, dismissing the sight of Lizzie’s backpack haphazardly thrown onto the floor next to her bed. It wasn’t on either of the twin’s beds, or by the door…

Aha! There it was, sitting in one of the chairs, facing the desk, almost hidden underneath a Salvatore School jacket. 

In hurried steps, Hope made her way over to the bag, tossing the piece of clothing onto Josie’s bed. Her moves were rushed, but careful. She needed to make sure Josie didn’t notice anything off.

It wasn’t hard to find the plain, red notebook amongst the colorful folders and binders. Hope was once again reminded of how Josie color-coordinates her school supplies, making Hope’s heart threaten to burst with fondness. It was cute.

Her hand grasped the History notebook, taking a peek at one of the pages to double check that it was hers. Who knows what kind of mess she’d be in if she grabbed the wrong one,  _ again _ . 

“Hope?”

She froze, as if she just got doused with ice cold water. She’d know that voice anywhere. But how did she not hear the door-

She left the door open.

_ Idiot. _

Hope gulped, not daring to say anything as she turned around. One hand held the backpack, while the other one was reached inside. The image would be laughable at how she was so obviously caught red-handed, if it weren’t for the feeling of dread creeping up her spine.

Josie blinked, not knowing what to say. Hope selfishly took that moment to take in Josie’s attire. Having just come from a party, it made sense that the girl had changed out of her school uniform. Yet, she still rocked a tight skirt, paired with dark stockings and heels. Her top was more loose, though it barely reached the top of the skirt, giving a teasing little glimpse of the tan skin underneath. 

“Hope, what are you doing?”

God, could she embarrass herself even more? Now was not the time to ogle Josie, not when Hope was caught rooting through her backpack.

Usually, Hope was good with coming up with a plan. In a life or death situation, she can think on her feet, the rush of adrenaline making her mind go into overdrive to figure out a solution. Hell, she was Klaus Mikaelson’s daughter. Knowing how to speak to people to get her way was a natural skill.

“...” She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Josie’s eyes narrowed with a hint of suspicion, but mostly confusion. 

“I thought you were at the party.” Hope said instead, trying to stall, deflect,  _ anything _ while her mind tried to come up with a good excuse.

“Lizzie needed a jacket. MG offered, but she insisted that it would ruin her outfit.”

“Oh, that’s cool. Has she realized that MG is in love with her, yet?”

“Not yet. He was being super obvious tonight, I don’t know how Lizzie-” Josie paused and shook her head. “Stop changing the subject.”

Silence fell between them. Josie raised her eyebrows, waiting for an answer to her previous question.

“I need my notebook back.” Hope settled with, giving an awkward smile. Not necessarily a lie, but not the full truth, either.

“So… you sneak into my room to steal it back instead of just asking me?” 

“Yes.”

Josie tilted her head, looking even more befuddled.

Hope rushed out her next words. “I think I hear your dad calling me, it could be a new monster. I should really go.”

She grabbed the notebook, dropping the school bag back into the chair, and rushed to the doorway. The speed she was walking at made Josie’s hair fly up as she passed her. If she was a vampire, she would’ve been gone as soon as Josie first walked in. Hope was almost at the doorway, so  _ close _ to successfully running away from her problems, when Josie spoke. 

“Stop.” 

She stopped.

“Hope.” Josie said. “Turn around.” 

Because she was wholeheartedly  _ whipped _ for Josie, Hope turned around. 

Josie studied the tribrid in front of her, and Hope squirmed under the attention. 

“I didn’t hear my dad.” Josie said, still analyzing Hope’s movements.

“Oh, you know. Werewolf senses, heightened hearing. That was definitely him. And he needs my history notes, so I should really go. Now.” 

Josie took a step forward, something flashing in her eyes when Hope unconsciously stepped back. A small smirk formed on her lips, and Hope knew she was in trouble. 

“History notes?”

Fuck. That was on Hope. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

“Yeah, I accidentally gave you the wrong notebook. And I need it back. Oh, and I talked to Miss Featherwood. She can give you all the notes you missed while you were gone. So, really, you don’t need any of my notes. You don’t need to ever see any of my notes. Besides, notes are stupid. How will any of this actually help in the real world? I haven’t a clue how to do taxes-”

“ _ Hope _ .” 

She shut her mouth, not knowing what to say, not  _ trusting _ herself with words. Josie took another step forward, and it took all of Hope’s willpower not to take another step back. 

Josie’s eyes flickered to the notebook that Hope was clutching to her chest, tucked close to ensure she wouldn’t drop it.

“Hope.” Josie repeated, taking another step. 

They’re about an arm’s length away, and Hope could smell the faintest trace of alcohol. Her mind was too busy panicking to register it earlier (her mind was  _ still _ panicking, don’t get her wrong). As subtle as possible, Hope leaned in, breathing in the scent of Josie. Her posture automatically relaxed, being comforted by the familiar smell of vanilla. There was definitely a trace of alcohol, along with something unknown, a scent that made Hope tense up again. 

She narrowed her eyes. 

“Are you drunk?” She asked out loud.

“No. Just took a shot with Jed before coming here.”

What.

Jed?  _ Jed?! _

His scent was all over her. Hope had some suspicion that he pulled Josie in for a hug, at least. She doesn’t want to entertain any other explanation for why his smell was so prominent. Maybe a handshake. A high five.

And was the boy  _ stupid _ ? Letting Josie walk back into the school by herself? Not that Hope wanted to see the two of them together, but it’s just common courtesy. It’s called being polite. Especially since they were surrounded by drunk vampires and werewolves, who knows what could have happened?

Not that Josie can’t defend herself. Hope knows how strong the girl can be, if she allows herself to. No, Hope just doesn’t trust other people-

“Hope!” 

She blinked, not realizing how lost she got in her inward rambling. 

Josie looked at her with concern. “You were just staring off into space.”

Oh.

“Oh.” Hope said, always knowing how to articulate her thoughts perfectly. 

“ _ Oh. _ ” She repeated when she realized how close Josie was.

Josie smiled. “Hi.” Her hand came up, tucking a strand of hair behind Hope’s ear. Her fingers trailed down, tracing Hope’s jaw, settling at her chin to tilt Hope’s head up so they could meet eye to eye. 

Her mind was screaming at how close they were to each other. “Hi.” She managed to breathe out. She gulped.

The siphon witch waited a moment, leaning in just the tiniest bit. “I think you’re in trouble, Miss Mikaelson.” Josie whispered. 

Her brain short-circuited. How was she supposed to respond to  _ that _ ? 

“I- Uh- For what?” Hope said. If she just went on her tiptoes and leaned in a little closer-

“Theft.” Josie smirked.

“What?”

In one swift move, Josie stole the notebook from Hope’s hands. In the midst of her brain going to mush, Hope allowed her grip on it to loosen. Josie twirled away, just far enough for Hope’s outstretched arm to miss her. 

“No, wait-”

Too late. Josie opened the notebook, and the smirk on her face dropped. Her expression became unreadable, and she flipped through the pages slowly.

Hope was rooted to her spot, blood roaring in her ears. Fuck. Fuck. What can she say? What can she do? Josie’s seeing all the evidence of Hope being a creep. The amount of drawings she had of Josie in that book was embarrassing, even downright  _ humiliating _ . 

This is the part where Josie looks at her in disgust, feeling violated, and tells Hope to leave her alone forever. She would kick Hope out of her room, and Hope would once again be the outcast of the Salvatore Boarding School. 

Except Josie doesn’t do that. Instead, she keeps her expression blank, her mouth slightly open in shock. She stopped at one specific page, and Hope knew what she was looking at. The one with no drawings.

“I- I can explain.” Hope said in a small voice. She opened her mouth to start talking, and, evidently, never stop. She stumbled on some words as she kept talking, just needing Josie to not hate her.

“We’re friends right now, and I would never do anything to jeopardize that. You’ve been so kind, for no good reason other than you’re a good person. Because I know I don’t deserve your kindness, your friendship. You and Lizzie have reached out to me before, and I completely shut you guys out because I was scared of caring about anyone else. But you kept pushing because you knew that I needed friends, and now I have more people who care about me because of you. I am so utterly thankful, no matter how many times I complain about it.”

“And I like making art of the people I care about. I have dozens of paintings of all my aunts and uncles. And you happen to be a person I care about, now. Along with everyone else, of course. I was actually planning on giving you and Lizzie a portrait I did of you two for your birthday, but I didn’t have the time to finish it before then. You know, monster hunting and everything.”

Josie looked up, still an unreadable expression on her face. Her eyes glanced back down at the name “Josette Mikaelson” written out in Hope’s scrawl, and she whispered it back to herself, saying it out loud.

Hope gulped. “Okay, so I might have started to develop a little, tiny crush on you. Which is stupid. I know you would never like me back, that’s why I never-”

“Why?”

“-said anything. What?” Hope paused. This was the first thing Josie has said since seeing Hope’s drawings.

“Why wouldn’t I like you back?”

What?

“Because,” Hope struggled to find a way to explain it. “You’re, you’re  _ you! _ And I’m just… me.”

Josie said nothing, only moving to her desk and picking up the old, battered journal that’s never left it’s spot for all the times Hope has been in that room. She opened it to a specific page, the corner folded down to be able to find it easily. She held it out to Hope without a word.

Hope took it silently, her confused stare locked on Josie’s face. “Why are you giving me your song book?”

“Just read it.”

She read through the lyrics, written with ukulele chords scribbled and crossed out on top. 

_ My heart has a little crush on you _

_ So immature but these butterflies they keep me laughing _

_ My heart wrote a little song for you _

_ Won’t you take a listen and dance with me to the rhythm? _

“Is this the song you’ve been working on?” Hope asked after reading through all of it. The line ‘ _ Just might love you _ ’ later in the song made her stomach twist a little. Was Josie seeing someone that Hope didn’t know about? “It’s good. Like all your songs, obviously. But it’s cute.”

Josie bit her lip with a smile. “Read the title.”

“Crush On You, written by Josie Saltzman for Hope Mikaelson.” Hope blinked. She had a mini-flashback to when she got a glimpse of this page, seeing her name for some, odd reason.

“Oh.” She said lamely. 

“Oh?” Josie repeated teasingly. Hope’s face reddened. Josie took her hands and led them both to her bed. They sat down, facing each other. 

Seeing as Hope wasn’t capable of speaking anytime soon, Josie brought out her phone and scrolled through her music app. She tapped on a playlist, before handing her phone over to the silent tribrid.

Hope looked and recognized all the songs that would play whenever her and Josie would hang out. She glanced at the title.

**Hope ❤️❤️❤️**

“Oh.” Hope said again. 

Josie chuckled. “Hope, I’ve had a crush on you for forever. It kinda started a few years ago and never really went away, to be honest. I never said anything because I wasn’t sure how you felt, and I knew pushing you would only make you close yourself off even more. Besides, if you didn’t return my feelings, I would much rather keep you as a friend than for us to go back to being strangers.”

It was all overwhelming. Hope’s mind had practically shut down once she realized the implication of it all. Josie’s playlist. The song.

_ If you didn’t return my feelings _ .

Oh, Hope was such an idiot. 

“So.” Hope said, finally meeting Josie eyes. “You like me back?”

“Yes, you dummy.” Josie laughed. “I like you a lot, actually.”

“Oh. Me too.” 

“Yeah, I kinda gathered that.”

Josie laughed again when Hope blushed. She silently moved the book and phone to the side, so there was nothing between them. 

“Hope?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I kiss you?”

“Yeah. That’d be really nice.”

Their lips met as they both leaned in, and Hope felt right at home. Her shoulders relaxed, all the anxiety from that day leaving her body. 

Josie pulled back, her lovestruck expression mirroring Hope’s. She smiled.

“You know, Josette Mikaelson sounds really good.”

“Oh, shut up.” Hope hid her face in Josie’s neck. 

Josie laughed, stopping when Hope pulled her in for another kiss.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Btw, in the lunch scene after Hope said “Do you have something to say about my clothes?”, Josie muttered “I’d prefer them on my floor.” MG heard it, and cue a panicked Josie and good friend MG.
> 
> There’s a video on youtube where Danielle creates a “playlist of her life”. Lots of EDM, surprisingly. That’s where I got Hope’s music taste for this story, though I personally would believe Hope would listen to softer, chill music to paint to. 
> 
> I apologize to people here who like history class, if you couldn’t tell, it is my least favorite subject. Power to you if you like it.
> 
> Sorry, the ending was kind of rushed. Life’s been super busy and I just couldn’t think of anything, but I wanted to get this out before school and work completely took up all of my time. The small scene of Josie being stressed about school was 100% me projecting my struggles.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed! Thoughts? Feedback is very appreciated :)
> 
> Also follow me on twitter @youngowl8


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